Orangutan Orange Juice Dance Video goes Viral

It’s time to “get your monkey dance on and make it a beautiful day” according to a Danish fruit juice commercial that’s gone viral on YouTube, featuring a dancing orangutan (which is actually an ape and not a monkey at all).

Unlike the recent controversial killing of 2-year-old giraffe Marius at the Copenhangen Zoo, this Danish company – Rynkeby – has made sure that no animals were injured in the making of the video.

In fact no animals were used. The orangutan is not real. It was created using 3D technology. (See the Making Of video at the bottom.)

“Two of Rynkeby’s core values are naturalness and responsibility; and therefore we have used the best available 3D-technology to make ‘Rynke’ come alive,” said a spokesman.

The company said that “with our new campaign, we are trying to raise awareness about the orangutan’s endangerment. We believe this is best done by having a shining, positive example that brings joy and life to children and families.”

The orangutans in Borneo are on the endangered list, and those in Sumatra are critically endangered.

Watch the Dancing Orangutan Video:

According to the WWF, scientists estimate that fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild on Borneo and Sumatra.

One of the biggest threats to their existence is the palm oil industry which is causing their habitat to be destroyed through forest clearing and forest fires…and is also making it easier for hunters and traders to poach them for the illegal pet trade which has experienced a sharp increase in the past decade.

“The orangutans’ forest home is being converted into oil palm plantations at a massive scale. This conversion is being driven by growing global demand for palm oil, which is pushing up prices and hence encouraging the development of more plantations,” says a message on WWF’s website.